Since the early 1990’s, organizations and networks have joined the D.E.I.B. movement en masse. We see the importance of cultivating spaces where all people feel seen, heard, and are provided the opportunity to thrive. We also see the ways in which diversity programming can set us back when implemented to satiate institutional and systemic agendas. When diversity programming is used in self-serving ways, there are missed opportunities for deeper learning and self-transformation.

Looking through a different lens, we witness how nature explicitly tells us when it is not getting what it needs or is being harmed. We witness instances of plants wilting, bees dying from pesticides, species extinction, and radical changes in environmental patterns. We challenge our communities to think about the human condition in a similar way. What does it look and feel like when folks are not getting what they need to thrive? What happens to communities and organizations when the focus is on checking the diversity box instead of focusing on changing the systems and processes inflicting harm on folks who have historically and continue to be furthest from justice?

Diversity training is simply not enough. Training is a transactional experience, whereas learning is the ability to transform knowledge into action. Both are important and hold distinct purposes. The deeper work lives in the commitment to relationship building and changing systems that are harming us all.